The Order

The rain fell hard, the worst weather they had seen in years. Lightning cut across the sky in jagged streaks, thunder booming like the roar of an angry beast. She leapt from building to building, her footing light but cautious, every surface slick with rainwater. The wind howled like a warning, but Alena Hart pressed on, praying she wouldn't lose her balance.

With snow-white hair and matching eyes, dressed in an unusual assassin-like uniform, a katana strapped tightly to her waist, Alena was considered either a hero or a freak by most—depending on who you asked. Her inhuman speed, reflexes, strength, regeneration, and heightened senses set her apart from others.

The rain kept pouring, and the scent of blood grew stronger with every step. I should have never left him alone! she thought, her stomach twisting.

Her boots skidded across the rooftop ledge as she jumped down, parkouring her way through scaffolding, fire escapes, anything to get down faster. She landed with a splash. Her eyes froze — blood mixed with the rainwater, forming dark crimson streams along the pavement.

She stood paralyzed.

"No... no... no," she mumbled, stumbling forward.

In a similar uniform as hers but black, with shadow-like hair and eyes, and tan skin, he knelt. Face tilted upward toward the stormy sky, rain pouring down his face as the fading light in his eyes flickered. The street around him was painted with corpses—enemies, all of them his doing.

"Kai!" Alena broke from her frozen trance and sprinted toward him, nearly slipping on the blood-soaked ground. She dropped to her knees beside him, cradling him. Pressing her ear to his chest—there, a faint heartbeat. Weak, but still there. Her heart surged with fragile hope.

He stirred, light briefly returning to his eyes as he coughed up blood, staining the collar of his uniform and her arm.

"Kai!" she screamed, panic choking her voice.

He chuckled weakly, the sound rasping in his throat. Cuts and wounds covered his body, blood dripping steadily. He lifted a trembling hand, touching her cheek with his bloodied fingers. "Hey there, beautiful."

"Don't talk. Help is on the way! Just hang on!"

He smiled gently, sliding his hand across her face, leaving a bloody handprint. Then he reached for her hand. She hesitated only briefly before taking it, giving it a soft, lingering squeeze.

"Injustice... across all... you mustn't let corruption take you as it will do to me..." He coughed again, his breath hitching. "I'll always be with you. Don't trust... the one trying to be closest to you..."

With what strength remained, he pressed something into her palm—a yellow star-shaped hairpin, dulled by rain and blood.

His eyes lost their light. His hand slipped from hers.

"No… no, no, no!" Alena screamed, shaking him. But his body was limp, unmoving. Her throat tightened, and tears poured down her face in waves. She held him tighter, pulling his face close to hers, sobbing uncontrollably.

The next day, a funeral was held for Kai. It was small, quiet, attended by friends and strangers whose lives he had touched. But one chair remained empty.

Alena didn't attend. She locked herself away, curled up on the floor like a ghost of her former self. The star hairpin remained clutched in her hand.

Two years passed, but time brought her no peace. Every day felt as heavy as the one before. The loneliness gnawed at her, a hollow ache that never left. Her dearest friend—the one she had loved most—was gone. And she had never gotten the chance to tell him.

"Now it's too late..." she whimpered to herself.

Alena changed. She became distant and silent, only leaving her room for missions, then locking herself away again. Her team grew more and more concerned.

—Knock, knock.

Outside her door stood Ezra, a tall young man with shoulder-length brown hair tied loosely into a ponytail. His eyes shone with worry as he looked at the door.

"It's me, Ezra. I think it's time you left that solitary room of yours. You've been in there long enough, only coming out during missions. There's a lot happening within the empires that we need to face. The team misses you."

He paused, then softly added, "This is what Kai would have wanted."

Hidden from the public eye, operating between the four great empires, was an organization of enhanced humans known as Mythicals. Some could bend fire, others control lightning, stop time, or manipulate shadows. They existed to protect the empires from those who went mad with power, or those who sought to bring ruin. But they weren't the only secret organization that existed in the shadows.

Alena slowly rose to her feet and faced the mirror. The sight of herself after these two years was jarring—pale skin, hollow cheeks, dark bags beneath once bright eyes. Her snow-white hair had grown long, tangled, matted, and dingy.

"I'm going to need to clean myself up first," she muttered.

She took a long shower, letting the water run down her face as if it could wash away her grief and regret. She brushed and untangled her hair, eventually tying it into a neat ponytail. She would need to cut it later. Finally, she pinned the star-shaped hairpin into her hair.

Looking into the mirror, she offered herself a weak smirk. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Her uniform felt tighter across the shoulders and looser around the waist. Isolation had changed her body. Still, she strapped it on, adjusted her belt, and stepped out.

The HQ had changed. Sleek white walls, holographic panels, and advanced tech lined the halls. Down the corridor, three people gathered around the main computer, reviewing footage.

There was Ezra. Beside him stood a young girl with short lavender hair and striking blue eyes—Lily. And next to her, the red-haired, red-eyed man in a lab coat—Dante.

Ezra turned and grinned. "Look who finally decided to rejoin the living."

"Captain!" Lily beamed, rushing over to hug her tightly.

"Heya, Captain," Dante said in his usual deadpan voice, though his eyes softened.

"Update me," Alena said, her tone shifting into business. "Ezra mentioned incidents across the empires."

She had been promoted to captain after Kai's death—against her wishes. But no one else had the experience or will to lead.

Lily stepped aside to let Alena approach the monitor. Ezra brought up footage: smoke-filled streets, ruined government buildings, underground vaults and criminal bases left in flames.

"Multiple political and criminal organizations were hit over the last two years," Ezra explained. "All of them left behind this."

He zoomed in on a symbol — a white cross, crudely painted on walls and corpses.

Alena froze. Her breath caught. Memories flooded back — whirring machines, needles, experiments, pain. The cross.

Ezra caught her reaction. "You know that symbol, don't you?"

"They were a twisted religious group called the Order," she began, voice low. "They ran an orphanage. On the surface, it looked like a place of care — but inside, it was nothing but a den of cruelty."

She paused, fists clenched.

"Their goal was to create artificial Mythicals. Endless experiments. Most failed. Many children died."

"So… they experimented on kids just to fail?" Dante asked, his voice full of disbelief.

She shook her head. "No. They succeeded — in their eyes. Only two children survived the process." She met their eyes. "Kai… and me."

Without another word, she pulled back her sleeve. Branded into her skin was a burn mark in the shape of a cross. The others stared in silent horror.

"Every orphan was marked. Ten years ago, they vanished without a trace. After that, the Organization found us."

"Didn't you think it was important to tell us this?!" Ezra asked.

Alena's voice rose sharply. "It's something I didn't want to remember!"

The room went silent for a long moment before Ezra softened his tone, changing the subject.

"While you were in your room these past two years, we've heard rumors," he said gravely. "There's talk of a new religious-political movement rising — growing fast. We think it may be connected to the Order."

"Lily, dig up everything you can about the political movement," Alena ordered.

"You got it. Give me thirty minutes."

Though only fourteen, Lily was a prodigy. Her ability, Techno Prodigy, allowed her to interface directly with technology using her mind.

Dante turned to Alena. "You've been out of action for some time. Your katana's a relic. It might not hold up anymore."

Alena glanced down at her blade. Once-shining metal now dulled with rust, its edge chipped. Dried blood still clung to it—a haunting reminder of the last time she used it.

Dante ran the research department at HQ, balancing his work between healthcare and weapons development. While he was responsible for medical advancements and overseeing the health of the personnel, his true specialty lay in designing advanced weaponry. He enjoyed making weapons... a little too much.

"Come with me to the lab. I've got something for you."

They walked into Dante's lab — a large room with transparent reinforced walls. Employees moved about, focused on their tasks as Dante led them to a display table.

He lifted two black-sheathed blades—one a sleek Wakizashi, the other a weighty Tanto dagger. Both had golden star-shaped guards.

"Kai commissioned these a month before he… You know. Said to give them to you when the time was right. I think that time's now.

Alena gently ran her hand across the blades. They hummed faintly with energy. She strapped them on using custom magnetic clips.

"They're perfect," she whispered.

Dante chuckled. "My best work yet."

Ezra grinned. "Care to test them?"

She smirked.

Inside the arena, Ezra stood opposite her, sword already drawn.

Without a word, Alena unsheathed her Wakizashi and took her stance.

Ezra vanished in a blink, teleporting mid-dash — disappearing just inches from her blade and reappearing behind her.

Alena turned instantly, parrying the strike.

Ezra's Mythical ability: short-distance teleportation — perfect for high-speed close-quarters combat.

He kept the pressure on, teleporting relentlessly into her blind spots. His attacks came in a dizzying rhythm, but Alena held firm. Her eyes narrowed, studying his timing.

Slash after slash.

Ezra blinked behind her once more.

This time, she was ready.

With sharp precision, she unsheathed her Tanto and intercepted his blade.

—CLASH!

The sound of steel echoed. Ezra's eyes widened in shock, thrown off-balance.

Without hesitation, Alena unleashed a flurry of counterattacks. Ezra staggered under her rapid strikes.

Thinking quickly, he let himself fall backward into one of his portals.

But Alena didn't stop. She hurled a dagger toward where she predicted he'd reappear.

Ezra popped out—only to see the dagger flying straight at him.

"Shit!" he muttered, barely deflecting it.

The momentary distraction left him wide open.

Alena closed the distance—too fast.

"Damn it—not enough time!" Ezra panicked, trying to fall into another portal—

–YANK.

"…Wait, what?"

A hand gripped his uniform. Alena loomed over him, wakizashi to his throat.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said coldly.

Ezra blinked, then chuckled nervously. "I give. Mind letting me go?"

She released him without a word. He hit the ground with a grunt, opened another portal, and reappeared above her, landing feet-first.

"Rude," he muttered, dusting himself off.

"You'd be fine either way."

Back in the lab, Dante beamed. "Well? How do my masterpieces feel?"

"Like they belong in my hands."

Dante flushed, pushing up his glasses. "The way you used them… gave me chills—in the best way."

Alena scowled. "You're being creepy again."

"Ahem—professional admiration, Captain."

As they walked back to HQ, Alena sighed. "He always gets weird after showing off his toys."

Ezra shuddered. "He reminds me of that creepy clown with the tear and star tattoos near his eyes."

At the terminal, Lily was furiously typing.

"Progress?" Alena asked.

"Not much in public records — mostly political propaganda," Lily replied. "But I found traces of the Order that used to run many orphanages nothing else. They're still using the same name."

"Good work, Lily. Don't overwork yourself."

Alena sat, carefully wiping down her Wakizashi. In its reflection, Kai's words echoed in her mind:

"Injustice... across all... you mustn't let corruption take you as it will do to me. I'll always be with you. Don't trust the one trying to be closest to you."

"FINISHED!" Lily shouted.

The room snapped to attention.

"That was fast," Ezra said.

Lily pulled up an image on the screen. A masked man in a red hood and armor stood, a white cross emblazoned on his chestplate, staring at them through the feed as if watching them directly.

"Who the hell is that?" Ezra asked.

"I don't recognize him," Alena said.

"Well, the file came with a name: The Templar."

Suddenly, a whisper echoed in Lily's ear—a voice only she could hear:

"I didn't expect you to solve that puzzle so fast. I'm impressed."

—ZZZZZZTTT!

Sparks burst from the console. Lily convulsed as electricity surged through her body. The computer went haywire.

SYSTEM BREACHED — VIRUS DETECTED.

ACTIVATING AUTOMATIC SHUTDOWN.

The entire HQ shut down. The lights blinked off. Silence.

Alena bolted toward Lily.

"LILY!"